With Yankey leaving, Stanford will have to rebuild O-line in ’14

David Yankey, who became an All-American at two offensive line positions, will forgo his final year of eligibility at Stanford and enter the NFL draft, the university announced Monday.

He played left guard in 2013 and was the eighth unanimous All-American at Stanford. In 2012 he was a consensus choice at left tackle.

“The decision was not easy,’’ he said in a statement released by the school. “I have loved my time at Stanford and am a proud member of Nerd Nation.’’

He’ll join Cardinal seniors Trent Murphy, Shayne Skov, Tyler Gaffney and possibly others in the April draft. Safety Ed Reynolds and offensive tackle Cameron Fleming haven’t announced whether they’ll play for Stanford in 2014 or turn pro. Underclassmen have until Wednesday to decide.

Led by the 6-foot-5, 313-pound Yankey, the offensive line ranked seventh in the nation in fewest tackles-for-loss allowed (4.1 per game) and 11th for fewest sacks allowed (1.1 per game). The line had just three holding penalties all season and paved the way for Gaffney to rush for more than 1,700 yards a year after helping Stepfan Taylor rush for 1,530.

If Fleming leaves, the Cardinal will lose four starters in the offensive line, including center Khalil Wilkes and guard Kevin Danser. The team, though, is very deep in the O-line and expects very little drop-off, if any, in that department next season.

Yankey, who was born in Australia but went to high school in Georgia, was eligible for a fifth season at Stanford because he played just two games as a freshman in 2010 before sustaining a season-ending injury. He is on track to receive his degree in science, technology and society this spring.